Alrighty, well, I finally got the next chapter up. Yes, it's taking me a while, thanks to Real Life(tm) getting in the way. Worry not, though. This story will be written to completion. As for adding in Silent Hill 3 stuff, I'll be hard pressed. I've only gotten to play about an hour and a half of it, and since I like exploring every nook and cranny of the levels, that isn't very far into the game (for those of you who've played it, I'm just into the subway tunnel).
But I digress. Here you are. Oh, and for those of you who like Todd, you have nothing to worry about. Trust me. ;)
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Chapter 8: Mix-up
With remarkable timing, Todd and I rolled out of the way as the flailing gurney-woman-thing tromped over to where we'd kneeled. The monster shrieked in fury, violently thrashing its limbs while its stumpy feet turned toward us.
"Kuri," Todd said suddenly, "get to the boats and get one ready. I'll keep this thing busy."
"What!? Are you insane?"
"No time to argue, just go!!"
Quickly focusing on the thing now charging at us at breakneck speed, Todd pumped the trigger. The bullet hit right on the mark, directly between where its eyes should have been. I was impressed; either he was a great marksman (which he'd never mentioned, I might add), or he was damn lucky. I guessed the latter.
I spun around and bolted to the edge of the dock, only a few dozen yards away. Only one rickety boat remained tied to the pier, although another rope dangled from the railing. Perhaps Stephanie had taken that boat to get to the hotel? I prayed this was the case as I quickly untied the loose knot and stepped down into the rotting boat.
"Todd! C'mon, lets go!" I yelled, holding onto the pier.
A few more gunshots went off, followed by snarling and roaring. Then there was silence. I strained to see in the darkness, but to no avail. The fog completely shrouded everything just a few feet in front of me.
A few moments went by with no noise, and I started to panic. What if Todd was hurt, or worse? Should I tie up the boat and go find out? But then again, what if he was fine and arrived at the boat with no time to untie it again? These and a million other questions raced through my mind as my hands started shaking against the moldy wooden pier.
Clunk clunk. Footsteps? Clunk clunk clunk. Coming closer... was it him?
"T-todd?" I croaked, craning my neck to see anything approaching. And approach something did.
A rotting hand shot out of the darkness, missing my face by mere centimeters. I cried out in surprise, falling backwards into the boat. The momentum was enough to put a few feet of distance between the pier and me, and I realized now that I couldn't do anything to help Todd.
The creature, aggravated that it'd missed its prey, hunched its legs back as if to leap onto the boat. Then there were gunshots. The monster, twitching in time with each blast and howling in pain, was being attacked from behind.
"Todd! Hurry up before I float too far!" I screamed, relieved that he was still around.
Running thuds emanated from behind the beast, and a human form emerged from the blackness. Todd leaped into the air and, using the gurney monster as a sort of ramp, ran the length of its back, leaping instantly from its shoulders and landing hard into the boat. Needless to say, I was clobbered in the process, but at least we were now safe. He got off of me as the boat floated further out into the lake, and I looked up at him.
All the blood drained from my face as I stifled a cry. This wasn't Todd at all. It was-
"O-officer Mimms?!"
The young police officer dusted herself off and shoved her gun in its holster, finally looking up at my incredulous expression.
"Yup, it's me."
"But... but... what about Todd?" I was nearly frantic.
"You mean that boy I saw you with?" she asked. "I haven't seen him since I first met you."
"He was right out there on the dock!" I screamed. "He was shooting that monster so I could get the boat ready, and then he just disappeared."
This wasn't making any sense at all, and the expression on the woman's face didn't help to ease my confusion.
"Look, I didn't see anyone out there, ok?" she said irritably. "I was a little preoccupied with trying to stay alive, ya know."
"Yeah, sorry," I mumbled, looking down into my lap. "I know what you mean."
"By the way, wasn't there another person with you? A girl?"
With a deep sigh, I proceeded to tell the officer about everything that'd happened since we saw her - the store, Mr. Sunderland, the gun, the monsters, and finally what had just occurred. She took it all in rather well, looking at me as if she knew exactly what I was going through. Finally when I was done, she put her hands on my shoulders.
"Look, Kuri, I promise I'll help you find your friends. I'm sure wherever they are, they're fine."
Looking at the compassion on her face, I couldn't take it anymore. I threw my arms around her, bursting into racking sobs. Her hands gently patted my back and pet my hair until my emotions finally expended themselves.
With no tears left to cry, I crawled back into my corner of the boat, ashamed that I'd become that emotional in front of someone. Jody seemed to sense my embarrassment and spoke up.
"You said your plan was to go to the hotel across this lake, right?"
I nodded.
"Well, then. It should only be a bit of paddling, and we're there. I'll propel us as best I can if you'll help. Wadda ya say?"
I managed a smile and said I would.
We started out into the murk, my only point of direction being a small light coming from the opposite side of the lake. I couldn't think of anything else it could be but the hotel. With Jody paddling, I, too, dipped my hand into the water to steer; the water was icy to the touch, almost as if I were dipping my hand into fear itself. The thought didn't appeal to me, so I pushed it from my mind.
Along the way, probably a good five minutes or so from the previous shore, I spotted a small island of grass to my right. It wasn't very big, maybe enough to fit two or three people on. Why there was a mini island in the middle of a resort lake, I had no idea. Upon further inspection, I could make out the remains of some sort of glass jar, broken alongside a fancy goblet. It would have been interesting to investigate, but at this point I had more important matters to attend to.
It took about ten more minutes until we finally made it to the other side, docking at a set of wooden steps leading up to an iron gate. I guessed that perhaps the craziness of rusty metal grating and monsters was over, since everything here looked natural... Old, but natural. Over to the side was tethered another boat, very similar to the one we'd taken. My heart felt a tad lighter at the prospect of finally finding Stephanie.
We walked up the expanse of steps and opened the creaking gate. A small courtyard lay before us, a fountain on the side, and the hotel just in front of us. The hotel door was slightly ajar, and standing just inside was...
"James!" I called, smiling.
I broke into a jog, happy at seeing another familiar face. Don't get me wrong, the police officer was nice, but... I just had a weird feeling about her.
James, too, was smiling at the sight of me. It was an odd smile; almost...fatherly. Looking up from me, his smile faltered at the sight of the approaching Mimms.
"Kuri, good to see you made it," he said. "And you've brought another friend?"
I glanced at the policewoman and nodded politely.
"Yeah, this is Officer Mimms. I met her when I first got to Silent Hill."
The officer nodded in greeting and was given a nod in return.
"Well, I-hold on a sec," said James. "Where did Todd go?"
My smile faded and I looked at my feet, struggling not to cry again.
"We got separated at the dock."
"Are you hurt at all?" asked James, lifting my chin gently. "He did protect you, didn't he?"
"Y-yeah," I said, surprised at his concern. "He saved my life."
"Good. Well, why don't we go inside?"
We needed no persuasion and followed immediately after James.
But I digress. Here you are. Oh, and for those of you who like Todd, you have nothing to worry about. Trust me. ;)
********************************
Chapter 8: Mix-up
With remarkable timing, Todd and I rolled out of the way as the flailing gurney-woman-thing tromped over to where we'd kneeled. The monster shrieked in fury, violently thrashing its limbs while its stumpy feet turned toward us.
"Kuri," Todd said suddenly, "get to the boats and get one ready. I'll keep this thing busy."
"What!? Are you insane?"
"No time to argue, just go!!"
Quickly focusing on the thing now charging at us at breakneck speed, Todd pumped the trigger. The bullet hit right on the mark, directly between where its eyes should have been. I was impressed; either he was a great marksman (which he'd never mentioned, I might add), or he was damn lucky. I guessed the latter.
I spun around and bolted to the edge of the dock, only a few dozen yards away. Only one rickety boat remained tied to the pier, although another rope dangled from the railing. Perhaps Stephanie had taken that boat to get to the hotel? I prayed this was the case as I quickly untied the loose knot and stepped down into the rotting boat.
"Todd! C'mon, lets go!" I yelled, holding onto the pier.
A few more gunshots went off, followed by snarling and roaring. Then there was silence. I strained to see in the darkness, but to no avail. The fog completely shrouded everything just a few feet in front of me.
A few moments went by with no noise, and I started to panic. What if Todd was hurt, or worse? Should I tie up the boat and go find out? But then again, what if he was fine and arrived at the boat with no time to untie it again? These and a million other questions raced through my mind as my hands started shaking against the moldy wooden pier.
Clunk clunk. Footsteps? Clunk clunk clunk. Coming closer... was it him?
"T-todd?" I croaked, craning my neck to see anything approaching. And approach something did.
A rotting hand shot out of the darkness, missing my face by mere centimeters. I cried out in surprise, falling backwards into the boat. The momentum was enough to put a few feet of distance between the pier and me, and I realized now that I couldn't do anything to help Todd.
The creature, aggravated that it'd missed its prey, hunched its legs back as if to leap onto the boat. Then there were gunshots. The monster, twitching in time with each blast and howling in pain, was being attacked from behind.
"Todd! Hurry up before I float too far!" I screamed, relieved that he was still around.
Running thuds emanated from behind the beast, and a human form emerged from the blackness. Todd leaped into the air and, using the gurney monster as a sort of ramp, ran the length of its back, leaping instantly from its shoulders and landing hard into the boat. Needless to say, I was clobbered in the process, but at least we were now safe. He got off of me as the boat floated further out into the lake, and I looked up at him.
All the blood drained from my face as I stifled a cry. This wasn't Todd at all. It was-
"O-officer Mimms?!"
The young police officer dusted herself off and shoved her gun in its holster, finally looking up at my incredulous expression.
"Yup, it's me."
"But... but... what about Todd?" I was nearly frantic.
"You mean that boy I saw you with?" she asked. "I haven't seen him since I first met you."
"He was right out there on the dock!" I screamed. "He was shooting that monster so I could get the boat ready, and then he just disappeared."
This wasn't making any sense at all, and the expression on the woman's face didn't help to ease my confusion.
"Look, I didn't see anyone out there, ok?" she said irritably. "I was a little preoccupied with trying to stay alive, ya know."
"Yeah, sorry," I mumbled, looking down into my lap. "I know what you mean."
"By the way, wasn't there another person with you? A girl?"
With a deep sigh, I proceeded to tell the officer about everything that'd happened since we saw her - the store, Mr. Sunderland, the gun, the monsters, and finally what had just occurred. She took it all in rather well, looking at me as if she knew exactly what I was going through. Finally when I was done, she put her hands on my shoulders.
"Look, Kuri, I promise I'll help you find your friends. I'm sure wherever they are, they're fine."
Looking at the compassion on her face, I couldn't take it anymore. I threw my arms around her, bursting into racking sobs. Her hands gently patted my back and pet my hair until my emotions finally expended themselves.
With no tears left to cry, I crawled back into my corner of the boat, ashamed that I'd become that emotional in front of someone. Jody seemed to sense my embarrassment and spoke up.
"You said your plan was to go to the hotel across this lake, right?"
I nodded.
"Well, then. It should only be a bit of paddling, and we're there. I'll propel us as best I can if you'll help. Wadda ya say?"
I managed a smile and said I would.
We started out into the murk, my only point of direction being a small light coming from the opposite side of the lake. I couldn't think of anything else it could be but the hotel. With Jody paddling, I, too, dipped my hand into the water to steer; the water was icy to the touch, almost as if I were dipping my hand into fear itself. The thought didn't appeal to me, so I pushed it from my mind.
Along the way, probably a good five minutes or so from the previous shore, I spotted a small island of grass to my right. It wasn't very big, maybe enough to fit two or three people on. Why there was a mini island in the middle of a resort lake, I had no idea. Upon further inspection, I could make out the remains of some sort of glass jar, broken alongside a fancy goblet. It would have been interesting to investigate, but at this point I had more important matters to attend to.
It took about ten more minutes until we finally made it to the other side, docking at a set of wooden steps leading up to an iron gate. I guessed that perhaps the craziness of rusty metal grating and monsters was over, since everything here looked natural... Old, but natural. Over to the side was tethered another boat, very similar to the one we'd taken. My heart felt a tad lighter at the prospect of finally finding Stephanie.
We walked up the expanse of steps and opened the creaking gate. A small courtyard lay before us, a fountain on the side, and the hotel just in front of us. The hotel door was slightly ajar, and standing just inside was...
"James!" I called, smiling.
I broke into a jog, happy at seeing another familiar face. Don't get me wrong, the police officer was nice, but... I just had a weird feeling about her.
James, too, was smiling at the sight of me. It was an odd smile; almost...fatherly. Looking up from me, his smile faltered at the sight of the approaching Mimms.
"Kuri, good to see you made it," he said. "And you've brought another friend?"
I glanced at the policewoman and nodded politely.
"Yeah, this is Officer Mimms. I met her when I first got to Silent Hill."
The officer nodded in greeting and was given a nod in return.
"Well, I-hold on a sec," said James. "Where did Todd go?"
My smile faded and I looked at my feet, struggling not to cry again.
"We got separated at the dock."
"Are you hurt at all?" asked James, lifting my chin gently. "He did protect you, didn't he?"
"Y-yeah," I said, surprised at his concern. "He saved my life."
"Good. Well, why don't we go inside?"
We needed no persuasion and followed immediately after James.